I’ve got to say that I am surprised that
it has taken so long for a pirate based multiplayer game to make its way
onto the PC. It feels that Pirates of the Burning Sea has been in
development for years and years, and in reality it has been...so has it
been worth the wait and does it differ from others in the genre such as
Everquest and WoW to bring in the paying customers. Our review of
Pirates of the Burning Sea will carry on month after month as we
continue to play the game when new content is added and as we get more
in depth into the game.

The Review

Set sail for a swashbuckling, massively multiplayer
online adventure in the pirate-infested seas and Caribbean ports of
1720. England, France, and Spain have unleashed their forces on the
Caribbean. Naval officers captain massive warships through bloody
engagements at sea. Freetraders charge through blockades and smuggle the
war material needed to conquer the enemy's ports. Privateers raid enemy
shipping, looting ships of their treasure and rival nations of their
glory.

Through it all sail the Pirates. Bloody, bold, and
resolute, they serve no flag and heed no king. They live free, fight
hard, and obey only fate.

The New World of 1720 is a land of opportunity,
treachery, and adventure:

Intense Tactical Ship Combat

Fire grape, bar and heavy round shot from your cannons
in colossal open sea battles, but head the direction of the wind or
you'll find yourself dead in the water.

Swashbuckling Sword Fights

Take-up arms with three swashbuckling fighting styles,
from the deadly and formal Fencing, to the flashy dual-wielding
Florentine, or the rowdy and treacherous Dirty Fighting.

Join the Caribbean Community

Socialize, group, and join the player driven economy
to make, trade, and sell everything needed to play. Manufacture your own
goods for in-game profit or your own use. Build, capture, and customize
dozens of historical ships or player created originals.

The game starts with the usual setup – select your
server, pick the country you want to represent – I went with the good
old British Empire and then set about creating my character and naming
them. There are four different careers you can take part in during
Pirates of the Burning Sea:

Freetrader

You are a merchant of the sea! You live for the
business of trade and love the feel of doubloons in your pocket; the law
of supply and demand holds your attention far more than the law of
“might means right.” You would much rather outrace a heavily armed
destroyer to sell a hold full of lucrative rum than go cannon-tocannon
with it.

Naval Officer

You command the largest ships on the sea. As a
defender of your nation, you follow your government’s orders and protect
the citizens under your care. Your nation completely cooperates with you
and backs your every decision and action.

Privateer

No one is quite sure who you are aligned with, except
you and your crew. Sanctioned by your nation, your enemies call you
Pirate, and your allies call you Pirate-hunter - but it is your official
letters of marque that grant you the authority to sink those who would
threaten the crown.

Pirate

You bend your knee to no one and live by the laws that
you create. You ride the waves of freedom and plunder any undefended
port. Unlike other careers, a Pirate survives on his cunning and can
seize any ship defeated in combat for his own.

The first part of the game is a decent tutorial style
piece in which you learn to control your character, use the special
moves and traits your characters has, and learn how to take control of
your first ship on the open seas and in battle. I have to say that first
and foremost I would have loved to have had more tutorial missions early
on as they can be helpful to both new players and to those who are more
used to playing online titles, especially one like this that has a lot
of sea navigation and battles in it. But the good thing is that the few
early missions are not that difficult and easy to understand while
chatting to the various characters in the first port you are in will
help no end.

The game itself is very detailed, this is why our
review will be updated every month during Pirates of the Burning Sea’s
lifespan – each month new content is added to the game and bugs/missions
are fixed and added to which is great news to those who have subscribed
to it.

As I mentioned a short while back, the first port you
arrive in is more of a tutorial area where you speak to various people
around the town such as the Harbour Master, Town Crier, Port Captain,
Trainers and more – these people can give you missions as well as allow
you to get news from about the town you are in.

There is a lot to do in the ports like visiting the
Tavern and buying drinks while discussing what is happening around the
world as well as picking up a new mission or two while you are there.
There are also a number of shops around the ports that allow you to buy
and sell items.

Head to the shop and inside is the auctioneer, who
allows you to buy and sell on the trade market; the civilian ship deed
trader if you want to purchase a standard ship; and the junk merchant,
who gives you a small fee for disposing of your unwanted goods. Plus,
depending on the size of the port’s shop, you may also find someone who
customizes flags and sails; a society registrar, which enrols you in a
society; and a tailor to make you a new outfit.

Combat takes place in the various missions you take
part in, these can be on the land in hand to hand or on sea in large
scale battles:

You have three types of swashbuckling fighting styles
to choose from: Dirty Fighting, Fencing, or Florentine. Each has its
benefits, and while your career will start you with a style, talk to
your swashbuckling trainer and try them all out. Naval Officers start as
Fencers, Privateers and Pirates start as Dirty Fighters, and Freetraders
start with Florentine. In general, Dirty Fighting uses the cutlass and
relies on tricks and ranged pistols to deal damage; Fencing uses the
rapier and concentrates on quickness and defence to deliver a killing
blow; and Florentine uses a small sword and dagger to be a little more
aggressive. This is well suited for one-on-one combat but a little
limited against enemy groups.

Overall

I hope you enjoyed the first part of our review and we will be posting
the follow up next month where we focus on the types of missions you get
in the game, the player versus player content and how the ships work and
navigate around the sea. Overall though Pirates of the Burning Sea is a
very promising multiplayer title that is a bit different from the others
around at the moment, thanks mostly to the sea combat and the large
amount of players who have joined in so far. A new content patch is due
in mid-march so we will be covering that in our upcoming review too.

Feel free to
comment on the review here.

Specs & Package

Overall Score

88%

Version Reviewed

Pirates of the Burning Sea (PAL)

Release Date

Out Now

In The Box?

1 Call of Juarez DVD-ROM
1 Set Of Instructions

The Good Points

Good performance on low and high end
machines.
Good music and sound.
Patches are coming think and fast fixing problems and
improving the game.
Lots of players right now.
Differs from other online titles